Signed by Babe Ruth, 1934 ball will be displayed during World Series

The ball is signed by Babe Ruth and other members of the all-star team that toured Japan in 1934

In 1934, Babe Ruth led an all-star team on a barnstorming tour of Japan.

According to a 2012 article in the Washington Post, roughly 500,000 Japanese fans crowded the streets to catch a glimpse of the “Sultan of Swat” and 14 other American all-star players including Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Fox, Earl Averill, Charlie Gehringer, Lefty Gomez and Lefty O’Doul and manager Connie Mack as they arrived in Tokyo.

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It was meant to be a diplomatic mission with the ballplayers acting as good-will ambassadors during a time when American-Japanese relations were tense as the world edged closer to war.

“The game of baseball was already in Japan,” says Jason Nisenson, Associate University Libr